The Gentle Penman

A single stroke can carry both discipline and grace in Engrosser’s Script. Mastering it does take years of dedicated practice, but the right foundation makes all the difference. This 4-part series is designed to give you exactly that: a structured,...

Fraktur is a 16th century German style of Blackletter which combines the dense vertical texture of Gothic Textura and the lively curves of Gothic Batarde hands.  The name Fraktur, derived from the Latin word fractura (meaning "broken"),...

In this workshop, you’ll learn the very basics of how to work your creative magic on a blackboard using a white pencil and acrylic paint. I’ll guide you through creating a good layout, sketching letters and illustrations on the board, and...

This 3-session workshop will take the students from basic free-form strokes to creating a variety of lovely expressive blooms suitable for greeting cards, books, or art projects. No matter your level of watercolour experience, this class will offer...

This script is commonly written with a board edge nib.  It is a script that was used in the 4th and 8th century that was derived from the Roman text/script.  This pointed pen version of Uncial was developed by Mike Kecseg.  Like Mr. Kecseg...

A single stroke can carry both discipline and grace in Engrosser’s Script. Mastering it does take years of dedicated practice, but the right foundation makes all the difference. This 4-part series is designed to give you exactly that: a structured,...

For students new to calligraphy, as well as those who are looking for an opportunity to revisit the basics, the Gentle Penman is offering a four-part Introduction to Italic.   In order to make this series available to students with varying...

A single stroke can carry both discipline and grace in Engrosser’s Script. Mastering it does take years of dedicated practice, but the right foundation makes all the difference. This 4-part series is designed to give you exactly that: a structured,...

A century ago, there were several abilities in penmanship that when performed spontaneously and consistently to a very high degree of skill, were defining qualities by which a person was generally regarded as a “Master Penman”.When...

For students new to calligraphy, as well as those who are looking for an opportunity to revisit the basics, the Gentle Penman is offering a four-part Introduction to Italic.   In order to make this series available to students with varying...

Step away from the traditional and embrace the "bold." In this workshop, we use the versatile B-series (Ornamental) nib to create a compact, quirky alphabet that is full of personality. We will deconstruct the Roman capital into simplified, monoline...

In calligraphy and typography, it is often said that letters take shape in black AND white, not black ON white: indeed, conceiving harmony through the spaces by observing the voids between forms is often the true key to achieving good results in...

Introduction to Gothic Script History and origins of Gothic Script Understanding its characteristics and letterforms Exploring different Gothic Script styles Tools and Materials Essential calligraphy tools for Gothic Script Choosing the right pens,...

One of the great pleasures of learning Gothicized Italic is discovering the wide range of minuscule letter variations.  The alphabet lends itself to simpler as well as more ornate forms, which can give the calligrapher the opportunity to develop a...

This workshop introduces you to the art of ornamental mandala drawing, where precise geometry forms Mandalas can look intimidating, all those perfect circles and tiny details, but they're built from simple steps, and anyone can learn them. Over three...

Capital letters are the ultimate challenge for any typeface, as they deviate significantly from the general rules and offer – and demand – ample scope for complexity and play. This of course also applies to blackletter calligraphy. The saying...

In this workshop, you’ll learn the very basics of how to work your creative magic on a blackboard using a white pencil and acrylic paint. I’ll guide you through creating a good layout, sketching letters and illustrations on the board, and...

Inspired by summer gardens and alfresco dinner parties we will look at a 3-course meal and hand-paint our favorite ingredients. Think vegetables, fruit, edible flowers and others illustrated in watercolour. After painting we will learn how to scan and...

The use of capitals in a calligraphy piece has a few advantages over lowercase letters: it slows down the reading, you can easily spread or sprinkle them out over the page according to your layout demands and you can make textures without having to worry...

What if Andean textiles were read as texts—narratives as rich as illuminated manuscripts?  In the Andes, weaving was more than decoration: it was a system of knowledge and communication, encoding worldviews long before alphabetic writing. And...